Remember Me
by clarinet-alto-4ever
Summary: When Edward finds an alternative to Bella becoming a vampire, will she go along with it? AU
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Stephenie Meyer's _Twilight_, though I surely wouldn't mind owning Edward . . .

Bella stood by nervously while they chanted.

"_Trouver encore pour tout temps. Restaure que qui est," _uttered the first.

"_Finden Sie wieder für alle. Zeiten Wiederherstellt dass, der ist," _intoned another_._

And the last_, "Trovare ancora per tutto volta di. Restaurare che che è."_

They continued faster and louder as they circled around her. Bella had faced vampires and werewolves, but this might be her breaking point. Standing in such a confined space in the middle of the night was unnerving. She wasn't scared though, at least not until the lights began flashing.

The three had stopped chanting and concentrated as the lights swirled around Bella. The blinding radiance reflected off the nearby lake and shimmered against the leaves. Their eyes were glazed over and they stood as still as statues, never even blinking. She stood as still as possible, like them; however, she desperately wanted to look back at Edward. She let her mind wander momentarily as she imagined his sparkling skin against the brilliant light. However, she soon snapped to attention as the fear finally started to settle in after all this time. Had she made the wrong decision? Was there a better way? Was there any other way at all?

She hadn't answered her questions when the light invaded her mind. It wrapped around her every brain cell, raided her memories, and almost painfully copied everything thing that made her Isabella Swan.

Bella screamed as the light fled from the deepest valleys of the inner workings of her being, taking a reproduction of her very essence with it. Suddenly, the brightness that had consumed the late night hour disappeared and everything went dark.

XOX

Edward watched on helplessly, wondering if he never should have mentioned this to Bella. What if it didn't even work? What if Bella didn't survive the process? There were so many factors still unaccounted for.

He cringed when Bella's scream echoed throughout he abandoned woods they were in. Edward grimaced. He should have never put her through this. Not that he could have stopped her once she got an idea in her head.

Her screams came to an abrupt stop as the light vanished and darkness again filled the forest. After a quick glance to the others who nodded their consent, Edward dashed over to Bella only to find her passed out on the ground.

A/N: After writing a few Twilight one-shots, I've gotten an idea for a longer fic. Chapter one should be up very quickly behind this. We'll go back in time a ways and explain what happened here for quite a few chapters. Then there will be quite a few chapters after what happened here in the prologue. I have a good plan for this, so hopefully it will be updated on a semi-regular basis. Wish me luck!


	2. Shopping in Seattle

A/N: So, this fic is pretty AU. I'm ignoring the fact that Edward agreed to change Bella. In my story, he's still unsure about it. However, they're still getting married. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Stephenie Meyer's _Twilight_. I STILL wouldn't mind owning Edward . . . or even mind if he wasn't a fictional character.

_Who knows what can happen_

_Do what you do, just keep on laughing_

_One thing's true, there's always a brand new day_

Bella Swann sat in her room with a determined mindset. She was going to make this happen. It didn't matter what Edward said or even what Charlie said. She was going.

She looked at the email from her mother.

_Bella,_

_Phil and I are thinking about taking a trip to Europe in August. We would love it if you would like to join us. By all means, please invite Edward and his family along if you want to. You could consider it a wedding gift from Phil and me. I believe we'd all have a splendid time. I'll call you tomorrow morning to make sure you got this email. See you soon for the wedding!_

_All my love,_

_Mom_

She had followed up with a phone call just this morning to make sure she had received the email. It was then that she had told her mother firmly that she was going and would ask Edward, Alice, and the rest of the family that very afternoon. She just had to be persuasive enough. It probably wouldn't be too much of a problem to go to Europe, but Edward wouldn't dare let her set foot in Italy. She wasn't a vampire yet, and they couldn't run the risk of running into any Volturi.

Her stomach growled as she realized she was going to be very late and hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Alice would be by her house any moment to pick her up and drive to Seattle for something wedding-esq. Bella skipped off downstairs and quickly fixed herself a bowl of cereal.

As she was putting up her bowl and spoon, there was a knock on the door. _Must be Alice_, she thought to herself. She hurried off and opened the door to reveal the short pixie-like vampire.

"Are you ready, Bella?" she asked excitedly, almost jumping up and down.

"Just about, Alice. I need to go grab my purse," Bella said, slightly less enthusiastic. "What is it we're doing today?"

Alice looked scandalized. "How could you forget? We're going to Seattle to pick up the dresses I specially ordered, visit the catering company to taste and decide on the food we want served, and then we have to buy all the miscellaneous items I haven't gotten yet! I'm so behind!" Bella shook her head. She found it mildly amusing that Alice continually used "we" when referring to the wedding. It was almost as if they were both marrying Edward.

Bella ran upstairs and was soon back with her tomboyish purse that she only used when she had to, like now during the summer when she wasn't carrying school books. "Alright," she said coming back, "I'm all set."

Alice grinned and almost dragged her out to Rosalie's red convertible. "I wanted to ride to Seattle in this," she said smiling.

Bella and Alice did have a grand time speeding down the highway with the music blaring, wind blowing through their hair, and singing at the top of their lungs. By the time they reached Seattle a few hour later, their hair was a mess, and Bella's ears were ringing and her voice raw. Alice pulled into a gas station for Bella to grab a drink.

While waiting in line, Bella deliberated on the best way to bring up the Europe trip to Alice. She knew it was best to ask her first. Once Bella had Alice on her side, it would be easier to convince Edward. And once she had Edward, the rest of the family would most likely go along with it, unless Carlisle thought of something, but she didn't think that would happen. However, the more the fought about whether to ask Alice's thoughts on going, or just tell her she was going and ask if she wanted to come with, the closer she got to the front of the line. Before she knew it, she had paid and they were back in the car.

Alice sped on towards the dress shop where the dresses she had ordered would come into. Alice whisked Bella off into the store.

Alice soon found an employee, gave her name, and was brought to the back where their dresses were waiting. Bella was skeptical about the dress Alice had ordered for her. She hadn't had much say in it what it looked like at all, but before she even saw either dress, Alice had disappeared into the dressing room and reappeared in a red halter dress.

The dress was full length and clung to Alice's hips before poofing out like a ballroom gown. The bright crimson of the dress perfectly complemented her pale skin and dark hair. Bella marveled at Alice's taste in fashion.

"So, what do you think, Bella?" Alice asked cheerfully. She did a few spins so Bella could see the full effect of the dress.

"It looks great, Alice. You look stunning as usual," Bella said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Alice gushed. "Now it's your turn!" Alice shoved Bella in the dressing room with the dress.

Bella fumbled with the dress. There were so many ribbons and zippers and bows. How on earth was she supposed to get into this thing? "Alice, I need your help!"

"Oh, silly me." Alice barged in and immediately took control. Before Bella knew what hit her, she was in a floor length ivory gown. She turned to the triple mirror.

"Oh," she gasped softly. Whatever reservations she had had about the dress disappeared. The gown was perfectly gorgeous. Unlike the slightly revealing dress she had worn to prom a year ago, this was tasteful and flattering. In the same style as Alice's, hers was adorned with a delicate beading across the bodice in a roses and thorns pattern. The bottom of the ballroom styled gown had a train at the end. This one part worried Bella.

"Alice, this train is just tempting fate. I will inevitably trip over it."

"Nonsense," Alice replied calmly, "You'll have no problem. I've asked your little cousins, Roxanne and Roya, to carry the train for you when you walk down the aisle." Alice began fidgeting with ruffles and bows.

Bella gaped at her. She hadn't seen those two girls since they were born four years ago. Nor had she seen that aunt either. For that matter, Bella realized she hadn't heard anything about a guest list.

"Alice," she began tentatively, "Exactly who in my family have you sent invitations to?"

Alice looked up surprised. "Honestly, Bella. Do you not remember going over the list right after graduation? I've invited all your aunts, uncles, and cousins. Not to mention your mother's parents and even some of Phil's family."

Bella was dumbfounded. "All those people are coming?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "No, you just asked about your family. If you'd remember, we also invited most of the school and their parents, plus coworkers of Carlisle's."

"You mean all of Forks is going to be there?" Bella exclaimed.

"Not completely," Alice replied.

"Well, who isn't?" Bella insisted.

Alice went back to perfecting every fold of the gown. "Mike Newton's sister will be out of town that weekend, unless she changes her mind and my vision changes."

Bella took Alice's hands to stop their constant fiddling. "All of Forks will be there? What happened to a small, quiet wedding?"

"Bella, Forks is a tiny city and most of its citizens are elderly. It's still small and quiet. Besides, there's nothing we can do about that now. Discussion closed." Alice's declaration of closing the subject didn't stop Bella from mumbling about eloping afterall. Alice had now finished and motioned to the assistant. She pointed out the minor changes she wanted and sent Bella to get out of the dress. However, it wasn't long before Bella was calling to Alice for help.

They were soon out the door ready to continue their errands. Bella said she was hungry, so they stopped at a cute diner for her to get some food. After she had ordered, Bella decided now was as good a time as any to bring up the trip to Europe.

Bella put on the façade of a blushing bride. "So, Alice, has there been any talk about a honeymoon destination for Edward and I?" she asked hesitantly.

If Alice's face could have paled anymore, it would have. "Oh, no. I've forgotten all about it! I haven't made any reservations anywhere. I haven't thought of anywhere to go!" She rummaged through her purse quickly. "Where would you like to go, Bella? Hawaii? Niagra Falls? Or someplace overseas?"

"Alice, Alice, calm down! It's usually the groom's job to plan the honeymoon. I was just asking if you had heard anything!" Bella explained quickly.

Alice's face instantly relaxed. "Oh, yes. I should have remembered that. Emmett has planned enough honeymoons in his time. So, to answer your question, no, Edward hasn't said anything."

Bella took the opportunity. "What do you think of making a family trip to Europe? Mom suggested that her, Phil, and all of us go together."

Alice mulled it over. "Well, it sounds lovely to me. But won't it be kinda awkward for you and Edward to have your entire families along with you?" she asked, almost embarrassed.

"Nonsense. They're not planning on going till August. That would be plenty of time if Edward did want to take a trip, just the two of us."

Alice's eyes brightened. "That sounds great then!" Bella sighed inwardly. One convinced, five left.

Bella had soon finished her chicken salad sandwich, and they were on their way to the caterer they had chosen.

Alice made it there in record time and soon she and Bella were inside. After any time at all, Alice was making Bella try all kinds of appetizers, bites of main dishes, and dessert after dessert. Bella was glad she hadn't eaten too much for lunch or else she would have had quite a stomach ache.

When Bella had finally chosen roast chicken or steak for the main course (Alice had insisted on having a full dinner at the wedding reception), a few appetizers, and a few desserts, they were finally able to leave. Bella was exhausted and it was already past four o'clock. She wondered if she could convince Alice to go on home. It was worth a try, she decided.

Alice's eyes went blank for a minute. She sighed, "Alright, Bella. I suppose I can pick up those items in Forks."

Bella grinned. _One of the great things about having supernatural friends, _she thought to herself as she and Alice enjoyed the ride home.


	3. On an Evening in Paris

A/N: WARNING!! SPOILERS TO BD IN THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Insert the wedding scene from BD in the middle of this chapter I suppose. Honestly, I want to jump more into the story instead of taking the time to write a wedding scene. Plus, I don't think I can top the best fictional wedding of the year.  I went ahead and kept Island Esme, but for my story to work, the whole pregnancy didn't happen. Also, some may be wondering where Jacob is . . . to be honest, I wasn't a Jacob fan until he imprinted and even now I just can't figure out how to put him in the story, so he's not in it. Sorry Jacob fans.

Disclaimer: I still don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but after seeing the movie, I think I might like to own Jasper . . . except Alice continues to see me coming. Dang it.

I don't own West Side Story lyrics either.

END SPOILERS!

_Make of our hands, one hand._

_Make of our hearts, one heart._

_Now it begins, now it starts._

_One hand, one heart,_

_Even death won't part us now._

Bella paced her living room. She really didn't think that Edward would have a problem going to Europe with the exception of one little thing – the Volturi. Thankfully, Alice had kept her thoughts to herself since the road trip a couple days back, so Edward had no idea. (In actuality, it wasn't hard for her at all considering how obsessed she was with wedding plans.)

Bella jumped as the doorbell rang. _Must be Edward._

She ran over and answered the door and there he was. He gave her a short kiss on the lips before walking in. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi, Edward."

He raised his eyebrow. Bella's face gave her away. "What's wrong, dear? You look like there's something heavy on your mind."

Bella sighed. "Well, first off, you love my mother, right?"

Edward laughed, "Of course I do. She has one of the sweetest and most sincere minds I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. Why?"

"And you'd do anything to make her happy?"

"Well, more her daughter than her, but yes, I'd certainly never wish her ill."

Bella smiled. "Good. Then she wants to take us and the rest of the family to Europe in August after the wedding." Bella held her breath.

"Absolutely not."

"Why not, Edward? It's the Volturi, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. We can't have them knowing that you aren't a vampire yet. And worse, knowing that I have no intention of making you one. And going to Europe brings us that much closer to them. What if they find out we're in the neighborhood and come to check up on us?"

Bella sighed. Time to bring Alice into it. "Alice thinks it's a wonderful idea and doesn't foresee any problems with it."

"Even though I would never bet against Alice, her visions are not one hundred percent accurate. Something could go wrong."

"Like what? The Volturi biting me instead of you or Carlisle? That wouldn't be so terribly bad. At least I'd be a vampire."

Here was the argument again. They were to be married in a matter of days and this one issue had not been resolved. Edward was still adamant that Bella not become a vampire on the grounds that they had no souls and he would not condemn her to an afterlife in Hell. She thought he was off his rocker and didn't really care what happened to her so long as she was with him. And if he was going to Hell, then she was too.

"No, Bella."

"Fine, I'll go to Carlisle."

Edward snarled. "I will not let him change you either."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Not about that. He'll convince you it'll be ok to go to Europe."

"Unlikely."

In the end, Bella was right. Carlisle thought it was an excellent idea and the rest of the family was just as excited. He managed to compromise with Edward by asking Bella to ask Renee if we could steer clear of Italy. Renee was fine with it.

The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Though there were quite a few more guests than Bella would have wanted, it was still a very nice affair and though she would never admit it, Bella enjoyed herself.

Edward had then whisked her off to Island Esme. The island had been a gift to Esme from Carlisle. It was three of the best weeks of her human life. Bella was still fully planning on becoming a vampire very soon, whether it was Edward, Alice, or Carlisle changing her. She was expecting it to occur shortly after they got back from Europe with her mother. However, Edward was still unsure about the whole thing. Anytime it came up, he started going on about vampires and souls and how Bella didn't completely understand what was at stake.

It was a few days before they were to leave the island when Edward suddenly changed his outlook on the becoming a vampire issue. The last time it came up, he did not argue or anything. He merely nodded his head and quickly changed the subject. Bella was highly confused.

Before she knew it, Bella was back in Forks. After a short week at home with the rest of the Cullens, they were packed and off again to France. Bella couldn't have imagined a better trip. Almost everyone she cared about in one place. Charlie didn't come and it was probably better that way. This trip was full of couples and Bella didn't want him to be uncomfortable. Furthermore, the fish were biting back at home.

Paris was nothing short of the city of romance for Bella. Due to the Carlisle and Edward's extensive knowledge of history, the city seemed to come alive. Whenever Phil and Renee weren't in earshot, Bella would hound the three hundred year old vampire with countless questions about their surroundings. In some circumstances, Carlisle could provide personal stories about different places he had been in a different time.

"Gustav was actually a good friend of mine. For a short time I moved back to Europe, and having never lived in France before, chose to spend some time in Paris. I attended him in a hospital when he had a nasty bout of pneumonia. We hit a friendship off and I actually helped design part of the tower."

The other cities of Madrid, Salzburg, London, and Berlin were just as wonderful. The only time Bella wasn't perfectly happy was for awhile when Edward was nowhere in sight, and nobody knew where he had gone except for the short note.

_Had to run a quick errand. Won't be gone long._

_Edward_

'Long' was a relative word. To a human, "won't be gone long" implies a few hours at most. But for a vampire, it could mean days, even weeks. Edward was gone for about two days, and Bella wondered where he had gone that not even she could know about. When he came back, he seemed a bit off to Bella, and when the inevitable discussion came up late one evening, he snarled and wouldn't hear any of it.

He wouldn't tell anybody else where he had gone either. Bella had asked Alice, but she was so keen on watching Jane for an impromptu visit and making sure Jasper wouldn't lose his control around all the humans, that she hadn't been paying attention to Edward. Bella wondered if he had made a split decision to insure that Alice did in fact not see where he was going. And every time she asked him about it, he told her not to worry and forget about it for the rest of the trip. And so she did so the best she could.


End file.
